The Loss
by SMAKSU
Summary: In one day at one time anyone can lose, but even a loss can shape the course of a lifetime.


The Loss

After it is over, no one remembers, no one cares.

The young man sat alone in the dark as the cool damp wind blew scatters pieces of paper around him. With his arms crossed and eyes down, no one could make out the small tears falling from his battered face. In the dark night he was finally alone. No one to yell at him, no one to cheer, or to curse. He finally had some small measure of peace. But the seeming peace of being alone was nothing compared to the hurt and loss in his heart.

A small paper landed on his foot. One word, "Champion" could be seen clearly written in bold letters. Slowly he reached down and picked up the dirty flyer his eyes scanning the words...

"One night only...Your chance to face the champion and win fame and fortune."

"That's my chance!" the young man thought excitedly. A huge grin crossed his face and his eyes glazed over as his mind wandered away. He could picture it now. All the glory, fame, women, money that he would have once he beat the champion. In his mind the crowd roared as his fist rushed in and connected with the champion's bloody face. He was lifted up on the people's shoulders and...

Thwack!

"James Ingram Roberts Jr.!" James jumped back quickly as the sudden pain crossed his back, and the whole class burst out laughing as the teacher continued to scold him. Grabbing his ear she pulled him to his feet and took him to the front of the class sitting him in a familiar chair.. "You'll never amount to anything unless you pay more attention young man," said the teacher as she placed the dunce cap on his head. "Now sit there and think on that instead of staring off into space."

The teacher turned away and left James in his familiar spot, and the class resumed again. No one payed him anymore attention. No one ever did. This was his world.

James was a sophomore at a small private school in New York City, and was the sixteen year old son of James and Elaine Roberts. His parents were wealthy bankers and could afford to send him to the best of schools. The problem was that the best of schools did nothing for him. He could never bring himself to understand anything the teachers said and his mind was always somewhere else, usually thinking about fighting and glory.

Usually from the chair he was sitting in right now. But this time it was different.

James smiled slightly to himself. Tonight was the night that everything would change. No one would laugh at him anymore. Everyone would adore him, and even his parents would be proud of him. His fist clenched the flyer in his hand. That little grin came across his face again and he quietly whispered to himself, "tonight is the night."

The sun had barely set as James stepped into the dark alley that would lead to his glory. Excitement built inside him like never before as he saw the small crowd gathered around a doorway of a dark tall building. Trying not to be noticed he slowly edged his way forward and eventually found himself face to face with a bearded man who spoke english with a broken accent.

"What do you want, boy," said the man with a sneer. "This is for men not little whelps like you!" The crowd laughed as the large man pushed James back from the door. "Go home to mommy little one."

James' face turned red with both embarrassment and anger and with a surge of adrenaline he rushed forward and pushed the man as hard as he could, knocking him back from the doorway. "I'm here to fight!" he shouted.

Angrily the bearded man started to reach for James, but a voice from the dark room stopped him, "Let him fight."

Stopping grudgingly in his tracks the large bearded man stepped to the side and let James enter the room. As James walked through the doors he looked around for the man who had spoken, but he could not see him anywhere. Instead all he saw was a lighted circle with one small table in the middle of a group of around 50 men and a few women. He stepped forward to the edge of the light and waited, not knowing what to do.

Time passed by slowly, but eventually the door to the outside world closed and the only light that could be seen was from the circle in the middle of the room. As the door closed a short man came out and stood up on the table.

"All those who are here to FIGHT, step forward, pay your entry, and prepare to meet the CHAMPION!"

Eagerly James ran out to the table. "I'm here to fight," he shouted.

The crowd laughed again.

Laughing along with them the small man replied, "So you are little man, so you are." Thinking for a moment to himself the little man smiled mischievously and said, "I'd ask for your name little one, but I think that tonight we'll all just call you "Mamma's Boy!"

The crowd burst out laughing and again James' face clenched up with anger, but at the same time a little fear gripped his stomach as he was the center of all this attention.

As the laughter died down the small man spoke again, "Ok mamma's boy, hand over your entry fee and you'll have your chance to face the champion."

James dropped the two hundred dollars in the palm of his hand and almost immediately a pretty, scantily clad girl came up to him. Anger dropped from his face as lustful thoughts filled his mind at the sight of the girl. He didn't resist at all as she took his arm and guided him to a different part of the room. His mind tried to think of something to say to her, but by the time he came up with something she had already walked off to escort another fighter.

Time passed as more fighters were brought back to wait for the start of the fighting. James looked them all over. Most of them were muscular men with broad shoulders and strong looking legs. Their eyes were focused and many were stretching and loosening up for the fighting ahead. James decided to mimic them and began to stretch like they were and even copying some of their facial expressions. He tried to put on the look of concentration he saw on there faces, and even just mimicking them he could feel himself loosen up and relax some.

Finally the last of the fighters was escorted in and the table was removed from the circle of light. The little man came out again and addressed the crowd. "And now the time you have all been waiting for. The true champion of champions is ready to face more challenges. He has never been beaten, but tonight could...be...the...NIGHT!"

James listened intently while dreams of become the new great champion ran through his mind. A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his day dreams and he turned angrily to see the face of one of the fighters he had been watching.

"Why are you here," asked the fighter as the little person kept riling up the crowd.

"I'm here to fight and become famous," he replied.

"Fame usually has a high price, are you willing to pay it?" asked the tall fighter.

"Yes, I am!"

Nodding slightly the tall fighter stepped back. His voice spoke once again as he retreated back into the dark of the room. "The champion will not hold back on you, he always fights to win." With those words James could not see the fighter anymore and his attention turned back to the center of the room.

"and now it is time for the first challenger..." the little man said as he turned toward the fighters. Smiling as he continued, "our first challenger is straight out of one of the darkest dankest parts of suburbia, he has fought from classroom to classroom all for the same of his mamma...and now...our first challenger...MAMMA'S BOY!"

A pair of hands pushed him from behind and James stepped out into the middle of the arena of light to the sound of the crowd laughing and some even booing. He could see them pointing at him and snickering, but then they went silent as the little man began to speak again.

"Here he is folks, the one you have been waiting for. Without further adieu, THE CHAMPION!"

James looked across from him to see who this champion was. A brief look of shock crossed his face as he saw the same fighter who had talked to him step out into the arena. As he looked into the fighters eyes he saw nothing. It was as if the fighter didn't even know him or care who he was.

They walked together and met in the center of the arena as the little man spoke again. "Now Mamma's Boy, since you didn't know the rules, its that there are no rules. In this fight anything goes. You can tap out, but that doesn't mean he has to stop. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. Just know that you could be fighting for your life tonight. So fight hard."

With that the little man stepped away and a blinding flash of pain crossed James' face. Staggering back from the huge blow of the champion's fist James fell into the arms of the men surrounding the circle of light. They shoved him back into the middle where the champion waited for him.

James was dizzy from the blow, but he was tough so he shook it off and put up his fists. Without warning the champion attacked again. James managed to put his arm up to block one of the hits, but before he could even react he was hit again by the champion's other hand. His face throbbed where the punches had landed and he could feel the wetness of blood dribbling from his lips.

Still he kept his fists up and tried to keep some distance between himself and the other fighter. The crowd was jeering at him in the background, but it was barely perceptible to him as one thought kept ringing in his head. "I want to win!"

The champion moved in quickly to strike again, and James moved both hands up to protect his face. The champion ducked low and with a huge thrust of his body brought James crashing to the ground. Mounting him the fighter kept swinging and punching at James' face. More and more fists connected and the blood started flowing more freely.

With great effort James somehow managed to pull his knee up between him and the other fighter and push him back from himself. Rolling quickly to his feet the young man tried to make out the champion through his blood filled eyes. All he could see was red and a vague shape moving towards him. With a thud his back hit the floor.

The powerful takedown actually caused some of the blood to splash from his face so he could see the champion lock his arm between his legs and start to pull it down with his hands. James' body was screaming in pain as the champion began to flex his powerful arms. The crowd was chanting, "Break it, break it, break it," in the background and James was beginning to lose strength. With the last amount of effort he had left, he sent his other hand to the floor and slapped it repeatedly. The crowd kept chanting and for a brief moment he thought the pain would never end. Then suddenly it did. The crowd let out a collective groan as the champion released his arm, got up and walked away from him.

Without another moment to ponder what had just happened to him the large bearded man was there grinning. He and another person grabbed him by the arms and legs and drug him to a side door in the building. Opening it they threw him into the dark dank alley.

The young man sat alone in the dark as the cool damp wind blew scatters pieces of paper around him. With his arms crossed and eyes down, no one could make out the small tears falling from his battered face. In the dark night he was finally alone. No one to yell at him, no one to cheer, or to curse. He finally had some small measure of peace. But the seeming peace of being alone was nothing compared to the hurt and loss in his heart.

A small paper landed on his foot. One word, "Champion" could be seen clearly written in bold letters. Slowly he reached down and picked up the dirty flyer his eyes scanning the words...

A sudden noise caught his attention and he looked up to see a man standing in the dark near to him. Normally fear would have gripped his heart, but today he didn't care. He just lowered his head again.

"I told you that fame comes with a price," said the voice out of the darkness. James' head snapped up as the champion walked out of the shadows. "Fame comes with a price and tonight you paid just a very small part of that price. I have given up friends, family, so many things for my fame. Learn your lesson from this boy, go home and don't think about this anymore. Otherwise you will be looking for this your whole life and you will never have enough."

The champion walked past James and left him there in the alley alone. His words echoing in James' mind, yet they did not have the effect the champion thought. The instant they hit his ears he finally knew what he would do. Family, friends, were nothing compared to winning and being famous. "James lost," he thought, "I did not lose I am not him anymore." Almost instantly a new name formed in his mind. It was the beginning of the new him. "Paul" he thought, "my name is Paul."

With that thought he got up from the wet ground and walked further into the dark alley.

His family never saw him again. The boy known as James Ingram Roberts Jr. died that fateful day, and from the ashes a phoenix rose to take his place...to seek fame and fortune...to never lose again.


End file.
